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Need a graphics card.. please help

Forum Graphic & Displays : ATI - Need a graphics card.. please help

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BroshM   08-26-2007 at 05:45:45 AM

My Specs:

CPU: Athlon XP 2400+ (2.00 GHz)
Mobo: Asus A7N8X Deluxe, nForce2 chipset
RAM: 768 DDR (400 Mhz)

I'm completely outta touch - last time I knew something the Radeon 9800Pro was new and I bought it but now it broke (cooling coil fell apart from the card).

Anyway I wanna play America's Army and here are the System Requirements for it:

Quote :


Minimum System Requirements:
3-D graphics card with 128 MB memory and support for hardware transformation and lighting
2.4 GHz processor or equivalent
English version of Windows ® 2000/XP Operating System with latest updates
512 MB RAM
3.5GB of uncompressed hard disk space for game files
4X DVD-ROM (not required for downloaded installations)
Windows ® 2000/XP compatible system (including compatible 32-bit drivers for CD-ROM drive, video card, sound card, mouse and keyboard)
DirectX ® 9.0
100% Compatible DirectX 9.0 soundcard
56kbps Modem or other network connection
NVIDIA ® nForce ™ or other motherboards/soundcards containing the Dolby ® Digital Interactive Content Encoder required for Dolby Digital audio

Recommended System Requirements:
3-D graphics card with 256 MB memory and support for hardware transformation and lighting
3.0 GHz processor or equivalent
English version of Windows ® 2000/XP Operating System with all updates
1 GB RAM
3.5GB of uncompressed hard disk space for game files
4X DVD-ROM (not required for downloaded installation)
Windows ® 2000/XP compatible system (including compatible 32-bit drivers for CD-ROM drive, video card, sound card, mouse and keyboard)
DirectX ® 9.0
100% Compatible DirectX 9.0 sound card
Broadband Network Connection
Nvidia® nForce™ or other motherboard/sound cards containing Dolby Digital® Content Encoder required for Dolby Digital® audio.
Broadband Network Connection




I don't understand anything about today's market and I have about 150$ USD to buy a new card.

Can you please help me choose? Thank you.

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mactronix   08-26-2007 at 06:08:54 PM
- 0 +

I think thats an AGP board isnt it?
What size psu do you have please include +12 volt rail info if pos

Reply to mactronix
nightscope   08-26-2007 at 07:00:48 PM
- 0 +

AGP is dead technology, it would be a waste of money to buy an agp card. If you absolutely HAVE to go with AGP and can't upgrade your actual processor/motherboard/ram, which would cost you about 180-200 and you would get a MUCH better system, here's a couple of agp cards that are good:

x1950gt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102093

x1950pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814241041
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161081

x1950pro would be best, if you can find the x1950xt agp version for your price range that would be better, but I couldn't find any on newegg that were in your price range.

Reply to nightscope
Falken699   08-26-2007 at 07:19:14 PM
- 0 +

AGP is finally finished, slowly research, save, and build a new system. Next Feb would probably give best bang for buck, as new nVidia GFX cards should be out. Also Phenom may be worthwile if it is out (AMD's next chip based on Barcelona Opterons).

------------------------------ djcoolmasterx - "Ofcourse there is nothing that you are doing that will use that kind of power, beacuse you don't have that kind of powr to do things with."
 Reply to Falken699
mactronix   08-27-2007 at 09:19:20 AM
- 0 +

To Falken699 and NightScope

If AGP is dead technology why can you but a 2600xt AGP?
You can get a 1950xt for AGP and there are only about 4 cards faster than it so what are you basing your statement on.
Mactronix

Reply to mactronix
Ahslan   08-27-2007 at 10:00:17 AM
- 0 +

Mac,

AGP simply doesn't have the architecture to deliver the same kind of quality and performance a PCI Express X16 card can. AGP cards are more expensive because they are an old technology. You end up paying more for less performance...It's true that some manufacturers still make AGP cards, but you aren't going to find the AGP at the top of the benchmark charts. Even some midrange PCI express cards can now outperform high end AGPs...and dont get me wrong, i have nothing against AGP. I used it for 4 years and absolutely loved it. Even took me a while to change to pci express.

And now onto BroshM's question...there are several questions you have to ask yourself. Are you gonna be playing any other recent games that are going to require a lot of brute gpu power or are u only gonna play america's army? I personally dont think america's army requires a top of the line computer to play...if you feel like your comp is running fast enough for ya and dont feel like saving up money for a new one, then id recommend simply adding more ram and buy one of the cards the previous posts have suggested. The cards will do just fine for americas army. But dont expect your comp to last you another 3 years...you will simply be lacking the processing power...

Fortunately today you can buy pretty nice stuff for REALLY cheap. You can get dual core processors and so for dirt cheap (sorta makes me think y am i sooo stubborn and dont upgrade?). And high-end, old tech videocards for pci express X16 are pretty cheap now. They offer the best bang for your buck!

------------------------------ AMD64 X2 6000 + Biostar Tseries 770 + 4gb DDR2 800 G.Skill + Thermaltake WingRS case + Raidmax 530w modular PSU + 200gig internal WD HD + 250gig external WD HD + 500gig external Simpletech HDD + Belkin Wireless G PCI receiver + Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD4850
 Reply to Ahslan
mactronix   08-27-2007 at 02:02:00 PM
- 0 +

While i do agree in princaple the fact still stands that there are only 4/5 cards pcie or other wise that are faster /better than a 1950xt which as i said you can get as a AGP card.
So i see no reason for people to keep telling people who ask for help to pick an AGP card that they are wasting thier time.
You cant just grab a new processor mobo and ram you would then need a new OS as the old one wouldnt recognise the system and would not work.
Also people keep blindly saying get a 1950 pro without checking or asking about the psu as it takes a lot of power to run and i doubt looking at the rest of the ops system that it is likley to have a good enough psu for that card. I may well be wrong but that is why i asked!
Lastly BroshM may not have the budget to get a new system or do such a major upgrade as has been sugested seems to me that the 9800 pro was doing fine untill it broke.
Sorry for the rant but i see no end of posts where people dont bother to answer the ops questions and go in full tilt telling them there system is crap and they need a new one.
Sometimes this is true and sometimes not but lets at least give them some options/answers to do with the questions first.
Mactronix

Reply to mactronix
lunyone   08-27-2007 at 03:32:41 PM
- 0 +

He's right on the edge for minimum requirements for the game. I would try and get 7600gt AGP minimum (it doesn't even require more power than the 9800pro did). I would get the x1950pro/xt

Reply to lunyone
aevm   08-27-2007 at 04:05:46 PM
- 0 +

Guys, please don't fight. If the OP had $1000 it would be stupid of him to buy an AGP card, true. Since he doesn't, that is his only option so let's help him anyway.

The video cards I would look at are (in order of increasing speed and power consumption): 7600GT, 7900GS, x1950Pro, x1950xt. Most likely the first two would work with the current PSU but the last two won't. We'll know for sure when we know what PSU we're talking about.

How about this one:
XFX PVT71KUDF3 GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X
$150 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150174

Reply to aevm
mactronix   08-27-2007 at 08:19:43 PM
- 0 +

Couldnt agree more aevm :)
Mactronix

Reply to mactronix
cristip60   08-27-2007 at 09:30:57 PM
- 0 +

Something better then a geforce 7600gt would just be a waste of money beause he will be experiencing bottlenecks.

Reply to cristip60
aevm   08-27-2007 at 09:43:42 PM
- 0 +

Ouch, you're right, I totally missed that. :(

OK, forget the x1950 cards. What about the 7900gs? It's about 30% faster than the 7600GT in some benchies, and it consumes only 10W more. It's worth $40 more IMO, but how do we know if it's held back by the CPU or not?

$110
XFX PVT73AUDF3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150233

$150
XFX PVT71KUDF3 GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150174

Reply to aevm
mactronix   08-27-2007 at 10:27:22 PM
- 0 +

Well i recon that BroshM should put a HD2600XT in to his system and then start saving for a new rig. That would give slightly better performance than the 7600gt and then when the new rig arrives the old one becomes a HTPC :)
Mactronix


Message edited by mactronix on 08-27-2007 at 10:28:06 PM
Reply to mactronix
Ahslan   08-30-2007 at 01:00:34 AM
- 0 +

I wouldn't suggest going for those midrange DX10 cards...the difference right now between DX10 and DX9 isnt very much and there aren't MANY projects in development for DX10...i think i high end DX9 card would be the best option mainly cuz they are dirt cheap for their performance...

------------------------------ AMD64 X2 6000 + Biostar Tseries 770 + 4gb DDR2 800 G.Skill + Thermaltake WingRS case + Raidmax 530w modular PSU + 200gig internal WD HD + 250gig external WD HD + 500gig external Simpletech HDD + Belkin Wireless G PCI receiver + Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD4850
 Reply to Ahslan
rockyjohn   08-30-2007 at 01:37:24 AM
- 0 +

Apparently the person who started this thread was not very serious since he still has not posted info on his power supply. So sad, all these people trying to help and Brosh is absent.

Reply to rockyjohn
cristip60   08-30-2007 at 11:01:57 AM
- 0 +

Maybe he lives in africa and the goverment rations the electricity.

Reply to cristip60
Cleeve   08-30-2007 at 05:26:20 PM
- 0 +

America's Army should play very smoothly on a Geforce 7600 GT, which you should be able to pick up for about $130 on newegg.

Reply to Cleeve
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